Talons turn fortunes around

By Richard Oliver :
April 13, 2012
: Updated: April 14, 2012 1:18am

Talons receiver Robert Quiroga hauls in a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Talons receiver Jason Willis rolls away fromJorrick Calvin after gaining yards on a catch as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Talons lineman Daverin Geralds (center right) can't stop the defensive pressure by Jerry Brown (9) and Victor De Gatte (42) forcing quarterback Kurt Rocco to run and then fumble the ball away as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Talons receiver Robert Quiroga stretches into the end zone after beating Jeremy Kellem on a pass to the left side as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News

Talons quarterback Aaron Garcia throws as the San Antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012.

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Talons receiver Robert Quiroga rambles for a touchdown as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Coach Lee Johnson talks with his players as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Robert Quiroga takes the field as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Brent Holmes breaks loose from defenders as the San antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

The San Antonio Talons host the New Orleans Voodoo at the Alamodome on April 13, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antoniopress-News

By halftime of Friday night's game against the New Orleans VooDoo, the San Antonio Talons had turned the ball over four times and skidded to a nine-point deficit before an NFL Network audience and a season-high 10,034 fans at the Alamodome.

To say coach Lee Johnson was unhappy was to say that defensive back Fred Shaw's shoes were fluorescent.

“Was he loud? More than you'd like to know,” linebacker Jamar Ransom said of Johnson afterward. “It was really a wake-up call.”

Garcia, who last week threw his 1,000th scoring pass, tacked on another nine en route to a 26-of-38 performance for 287 yards. After tossing two first-half interceptions, giving him eight on the season, he was near flawless down the stretch in connecting for three fourth-quarter TDs — two to former Holmes High and Baylor standout Robert Quiroga.

Quiroga, frustrated by being forgotten in the offense the first two weeks of the season, finished with 10 catches for 140 yards, including a career-high five TDs. His 16- and 6-yard scores in the fourth quarter helped put the game away.

“It was just a matter of guys coming together, protecting the football,” he said. “You just can't afford to give away the football.”

The game, which featured five lead changes after intermission, turned on a couple of critical instances. The first came with 11:15 remaining when fullback Chad “Tank” Cook took a swing pass in the right flat and bulldozed into the end zone from 20 yards out, scattering defenders en route. That gave Talons a lead, at 47-42, they would never relinquish.

With 5:42 left, a 39-yard TD pass from New Orleans quarterback Kurt Rocco to L.J. Castile was erased after a Johnson challenge when officials ruled Castile lost contact with the ball before crossing the goal line.

“The guys just picked it up,” said Johnson, who won two challenges during the contest. “When we went in at halftime, the defense had made big stops, but we had turnovers. Again, they didn't do anything to us, we just were stopping ourselves.”

Indeed, the VooDoo (2-3), who came in leading the league in turnover differential at plus-9, added to that total in the first two quarters with four takeaways. Two of them, a first-quarter fumble by receiver Jason Willis and a second-quarter interception thrown by Garcia, resulted in points for New Orleans.

On the latter play, Garcia saw his pass toward the right front of the end zone picked off by Jorrick Calvin and returned 44 yards for a touchdown to give the VooDoo a 28-13 lead with 7:33 left in the half. New Orleans led 28-19 at the intermission.

While the Talons' offense had its stumbles, the defense was keeping them within striking distance.

Led by leading tackler Ransom at linebacker and defensive backs Eric Crocker, Ken Fontenette and Fred Shaw, who was wearing glaring lime-green shoes, the Talons stopped the New Orleans' offense, led by the league's top passer in Rocco, four times on fourth down in the first half. They did so five times in the game.

“It's a big fine,” Shaw, who had four tackles and an interception, said of his fashion choice. “But once it's prime time, I take the fine.”

Rocco finished 21 of 41 for 278 yards, five TDs and one interception. He was sacked twice.